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Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw expects to be in a title fight when he makes his Octagon return — now it’s just a matter of when that happens.

Dillashaw fought for the first time in more than two years following a USADA-mandated suspension at UFC on ESPN 27, where he edged Cory Sandhagen via split decision this past July. In August, the 35-year-old fighter underwent surgery for a torn PCL and damaged meniscus.

In an interview with ESPN, Dillashaw gave an update on his recovery and said he hopes to fight again in approximately six months.

"It's on track, I just didn't realize how much work I would have to get done," Dillashaw said. "I didn't realize how beat up my knee was. I knew what I tore but once I watched the video of what [the surgeon] did to me, I messed it up really bad. I almost have a full range of motion. Strength is there. I've just gotta make sure I'm safe about getting those full motions.

"I wouldn't say an exact timeframe, b…

Francis Ngannou was well aware off the risks he faced defending his heavyweight title at UFC 270, and he went through with the fight anyway.

Following his unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, Ngannou revealed to media at the post-fight press conference that he competing with a torn MCL and other damage to his knee suffered prior to the event.

“It was pretty bad,” Ngannou said. “I have a grade 3 MCL (tear), I have damage on my ACL and damage on my MPFL. That was 25 days ago. I think [I’ll need surgery].”

It was a different style of fight for Ngannou at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday night, as he relied on takedowns and top position to wear down his former MMA Factory training partner over the second half of the bout. “The Predator” said he was warned by doctors not to compete, but he elected to take the risk – even on the last fight of his UFC contract.

“My team was by my side regardless of whatever I decided to do, that’s wh…

Francis Ngannou was well aware off the risks he faced defending his heavyweight title at UFC 270, and he went through with the fight anyway.

Following his unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, Ngannou revealed to media at the post-fight press conference that he competing with a torn MCL and other damage to his knee suffered prior to the event.

“It was pretty bad,” Ngannou said. “I have a grade 3 MCL (tear), I have damage on my ACL and damage on my MPFL. That was 25 days ago. I think [I’ll need surgery].”

It was a different style of fight for Ngannou at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday night, as he relied on takedowns and top position to wear down his former MMA Factory training partner over the second half of the bout. “The Predator” said he was warned by doctors not to compete, but he elected to take the risk – even on the last fight of his UFC contract.

“My team was by my side regardless of whatever I decided to do, that’s wh…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Ultimate Fighting Championship card on May 14 is already getting stacked with flyweights. Per a report from MMA Junkie on Friday, top-10 flyweights Viviane Araujo (10-3) and Andrea Lee (13-5) have agreed to square off at the May 14 UFC Fight Night event. There is no official location on the books for this fight card yet, and the only other matchup booked for it is another 125-pound battle between ex-title challenger Lauren Murphy and former bantamweight queen Miesha Tate. This pairing has since been confirmed by Lee on social media.

Araujo crashed into the UFC with a trio of stoppages, including two under the Pancrase banner, and proceeded to knock Talita Bernardo in her promotional debut in 2019 up at bantamweight. “Vivi” dropped down to flyweight aga…

A pair of intriguing matchups have been booked for UFC London, as Arnold Allen will take on Dan Hooker at featherweight, while Gunnar Nelson will face Claudio Silva at welterweight.

Promotion officials announced Allen vs. Hooker, while multiple outlets confirmed Nelson vs. Silva following an initial report via Twitter. UFC Fight Night 204 takes place at the O2 Arena in London and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt pitting Alexander Volkov against Tom Aspinall.

The 28-year-old Allen has won his last 10 professional outings — including eight in UFC competition. The Englishman known as “Almighty” fought once in 2021, earning a unanimous decision over Sodiq Yusuff at UFC on ABC 2 last April. His ledger also includes wins over the likes of Nik Lentz, Gilbert Melendez and Makwan Amirkhani.

Hooker will return to 145 pounds for the first time since November 2016, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Jason Knight at UFC Fight Night 101. “The Hangman” went 3-3 in six …

The Jordanian Lion is looking for a new Challenge

He’ll fight for his spot in the PFL Regular Season

@DesertForce pic.twitter.com/oD417SDFuA — PFL (@PFLMMA) January 21, 2022

The lineups for the first two Professional Fighters League Challengers Series events are now official.

Promotion officials announced the matchups for the cards on Monday. The first Challenger Series event features light heavyweights on Feb. 18 and is headlined by a clash between two-division Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Joshua Silveira and Mohamed Juma.

The remaining 205-pound pairings are as follows: Alexander Poppeck vs. Taylor Johnson; Joao Paulo Fagundes vs. Bruce Souto and Simeon Powell vs. Karl Williams.

Meanwhile, the following week will highlight welterweight athletes with a card topped by a showdown between Brave Combat Federation champion Jarrah Al-Silawi and Michael Lilly. Additional matchups for the Feb. 25 card include: Dilano Taylo…

The third meeting between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno almost didn’t happen.

Due to a knee injury suffered by Alexandre Pantoja, Figueiredo was able to step in for a trilogy and made the most of his opportunity, edging Moreno via unanimous decision in a thrilling five-round affair in the UFC 270 co-main event. While the Brazilian mentioned a fourth bout with Moreno in the Octagon during his post-fight interview, he struck a different chord at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“Brandon didn’t give me the chance to fight him again,” the Figueiredo said. “He didn’t want to, except Pantoja got hurt. That’s why the UFC gave him the fight. If he behaves well for the next couple months, we’ll figure this out.”

While Figueiredo was outlanded in significant strikes by Moreno, “Deus da Guerra” connected with more authority in the bout, including three knockdowns. Two of those came in the third round, when Moreno may have been saved by the horn.

“If i…

Dana White was conspicious by his absence following Francis Ngannou’s championship victory over Ciryl Gane in the UFC 270 headliner at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday night.

Normally, the UFC president is in the Octagon to wrap the belt around the winner’s waist for championship bouts, and he was present in the cage for Deiveson Figueiredo’s victory in the UFC 270 co-main event earlier in the evening. However, White’s absence from Ngannou’s celebration and from Saturday’s post-fight press conference could be telling, as Ngannou and the promotion have been at odds in recent months.

“I don’t know. You have to ask him,” Ngannou said regarding White’s absence. “No, I did not have anything to do about that. I think that was their decision. I’m about to ask about that, too.”

Ngannou’s contract issues with the company have been well-documented, and he failed to come to terms with the organization prior to earning a unanimous decision over Gane at UFC 2…

Alexandre Pantoja has newly-crowned flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo directly in his crosshairs.

Shortly after the announcement that a light heavyweight title bout between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka was set for UFC 274 — a card that is rumored to take place in Rio de Janeiro — Pantoja proposed a rematch with Figueiredo in their home country. Figueiredo defeated Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision in their championship trilogy at UFC 270 on Saturday night.

"I was supposed to fight Moreno at UFC 270, but due to a knee problem I had to leave the card and give that opportunity to Figueiredo bring the belt back to Brazil, so nothing would be more fair than for him to make his first defense against myself in our country and my city,” Pantoja told Sherdog.com. “I can guarantee that in a rematch he will see a totally different Pantoja. In my city, I don’t see Deiveson keeping that title.”

Pantoja initially faced Figueiredo at UFC 240, falling to his…

Former UFC and Bellator fighter Maiquel Falcao died after being stabbed 17 times early Sunday morning in his hometown of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.

Falcao was found by the Military Brigade lying on the sidewalk, surrounded by broken bottles, in front of a beverage distributor located on Major Francisco Nunes de Souza Street. Falcao was still alive when he was transported by ambulance to the Pelotas emergency room, where he was intubated and ultimately died as a result of his injuries. Local police are investigating the crime.

Falcao was 40 years old. He compiled a 40-20 mark in his MA career, with his most recent appearance coming in a first-round technical knockout loss to Nemanja Uveric at Serbian Battle Championship 36 on Oct. 16, 2021.

The Brazilian known as “Big Rig” had a well-traveled professional tenure. His lone Octagon appearance came in 2010, when he outpointed Gerald Harris at UFC 123. However, he was released by the promotion due to i…

.@UFC International Fight Week returns to Las Vegas from June 27 – July 3

— UFC News (@UFCNews) January 23, 2022

UFC 276 will be the featured attraction of the promotion’s 10th annual International Fight Week this summer.

The promotion announced the news during the UFC 270 broadcast on Saturday night. UFC 276 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 2, while International Fight Week as a whole will run from June 27 to July 3.

“We’re excited to announce the return of UFC International Fight Week to Las Vegas this summer and we can’t wait to provide our fans with greater access, a wide variety of activations and more memorable experiences than ever before,” UFC chief operating Ooficer Ike Lawrence Epstein said in a release. “IFW is our annual event celebrating all things UFC and combat sports, and we couldn’t do it without our partners from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).”

The week will includ…

Francis Ngannou was the top earner from Saturday’s UFC 270 card, according to salary figures released by the California State Athletic Commission.

Ngannou garnered a $600,000 payday for his five-round verdict against Ciryl Gane ($500,000) in the evening’s main event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. With the victory, Ngannou successfully defended the heavyweight belt for the first time.

Meanwhile, Deiveson Figueiredo took home $150,000 for his decision win against Brandon Moreno in their flyweight championship trilogy in the evening’s co-main event. Moreno earned $200,000 in defeat.

Michel Pereira was the card’s only other six-figure earner, as he took home a $100,000 disclosed payday for a three-round verdict over Andre Fialho ($12,000) a featured welterweight contest.

Note: The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do not include any performance-based or discretionary bonuses that may be awarded to a fighter by the promotion. Addit…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 270 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The first pay-per-view event for the Ultimate Fighting Championship of 2022 is in the books and it was loaded with stellar performances. While the UFC 270 main event between heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane might not have been the barn-burner many had hoped for, the co-feature between defending flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figuieredo was a virtually-perfect third jewel to their amazing trilogy of wars.

Figuieredo was rocked a few times over the course of five grueling rounds with Moreno, but the Brazilian never wavered in his quest regain the title he lost to “The Assassin Baby” last June at UFC 263. Moreno was on point early and often, but Figuieredo kept coming until he dropped the fan favorite with a hard right to the jaw late in the third. The two closed out the championship rounds going t…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 270 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. While the outcome was not necessarily a surprise, the same cannot be said of the path Francis Ngannou took to get there. “The Predator” leaned on takedowns, topside control and unwavering determination, as he unified the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title with a unanimous decision over Ciryl Gane in the UFC 270 headliner on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Scores were 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46—all for Ngannou (17-3, 12-2 UFC), who put his sixth consecutive victory to bed by showing a resourceful side few knew he possessed.

Gane (10-1, 7-1 UFC) appeared to be on cruise control through the first 10 minutes. Then, quite suddenly, Ngannou changed gears. He caught a body kick from his former MMA Factory stablemate and turned it into a high-amplitude takedown in the third round. He settled in side control…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 270 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 270 “Ngannou vs. Gane” coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the roun…

Warriors until the very end! 👏 How'd you score it? #UFC270 pic.twitter.com/rQbNrk0IgN

— UFC (@ufc) January 23, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 270 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Victor Henry made quite the entrance. The longtime Josh Barnett protégé looked like a man at ease in his first Ultimate Fighting Championship assignment, as he took a unanimous decision from former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Raoni Barcelos in the featured UFC 270 bantamweight prelim on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. All three judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Henry (22-5, 1-0 UFC).

Barcelos (16-3, 5-2 UFC) stood toe-to-toe with the onetime Deep champion for 15 minutes, and though he experienced occasional glimmers of hope, they were too few and far between. Henry leaned on overwhelming output, focusing on the body, the head and occasionally the leg…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A women’s flyweight clash between Maycee Barber and Montana De La Rosa is on tap for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on April 23.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. The event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but a headliner has not been confirmed for the event.

Barber last appeared at UFC on ESPN 27, where she halted a two-bout skid with a split-decision triumph against Miranda Maverick last July. The former Dana White’s Contender Series alum began her promotional tenure with three straight wins before falling to Roxanne Modafferi and Alexa Grasso in successive outings.

De La Rosa, meanwhile is coming off a second-round TKO triumph over Ariane Lipski at UFC Fight Night 189 this past June. “The Ultimate Fighter 26” cast member is is 5-2-1 within the Las Vegas-based promotion and 12-6 as a professional overall.

Glover Teixeira’s first light heavyweight title defense will come against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 274.

The championship bout was first reported by ESPN. UFC 274 takes place at an as yet to be announced location on May 7 and airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+. It is currently unclear if Teixeira vs. Prochazka will serve as the event’s headliner.

The 42-year-old Teixiera is currently in the midst of a late-career resurgence that has seen him compile a six-fight winning streak dating back to Jan. 2019. That stretch culminated in a second-round submission of Jan Blachowicz to claim light heavyweight gold in the UFC 267 headliner on Oct. 30. The Brazilian initially challenged for the belt in his sixth Octagon appearance, falling to Jon Jones via unanimous decision at UFC 172 in April 2014.

Prochazka is a former Rizin Fighting Federation champion who enters the matchup with Teixeira on a 12-bout professional winning streak. The 29-year-old Czech Republic native has kicked …

One of the greatest championship fights ever on UFC FIGHT PASS! #LFA122

(C) Charles Johnson via KO in Round 5

[ @LFAFighting | 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 | 📲 on #UFCFIGHTPASS ] pic.twitter.com/SqdE9PVYrj — UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) January 22, 2022

Charles Johnson may have fought inside the Legacy Fighting Alliance cage for the last time as he defended his flyweight title for the third time and in spectacular fashion.

Johnson improved to 11-2 as he eventually wore down challenger Carlos Mota in what is easily an early candidate for Fight of the Year. Mota (6-1) took the fight to the champ, applying insane pressure and throwing punches and kicks virtually nonstop round after round. Johnson obliged, standing both in the pocket and on the outside with pinpoint kicks, jabs and hooks. But while the two tore into each other with a torrid pace from the start, neither man landed anything hard or clean until Johnson did so in the fifth.

Read more about Charles Johnson Finishes Carlos Mota in 5th to Retain LFA Flyweight Title at LFA 122

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2mDuCbBLsg&w=560&h=315] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos may have a fight coming up in February, but that isn’t keeping him from paying attention to current events. Dos Anjos (30-13) will be taking on Rafael Fiziev (11-1) in an all-Rafael headliner on UFC Fight Night 201 on Feb. 19. The two will square off inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and he had plenty of thoughts on that upcoming matchup. Before his fight card, however, will be UFC 270, which takes place on Saturday with a pair of championship bouts at heavyweight and flyweight. When asked by Sherdog to choose his favorites for those title fights, dos Anjos had no doubt pointing to two new undisputed champions.

“[Deiveson] Figueiredo is focused now like he was in the first fight,” dos Anjos no…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au6EhLFnoio&w=560&h=315] Rizin Fighting Federation enjoyed its caged event so much that it decided to stage another.

On Nov. 28, 2021, Rizin put on its first of a new series of fight cards called the “Trigger” series, in which fights would be contested inside of a cage instead of a ring. The rules were otherwise the same, permitting soccer kicks and stomps, just changing the enclosure to a more western setting. Rizin “Trigger 1st” went down with 10 MMA matches, and multiple bouts ended via spectacular soccer kicks, but one fighter was disqualified for grabbing the fence. The end result at the World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan, appeared to be a success, so much so that Rizin will be putting on its second Trigger show on Feb. 23.

The organization sent out a press release on Friday to officially announced that Rizin “Trigger 2nd” will be going down inside the Ecopa Arena in Fukuroi, Shizuoka, Japan, towards the end of February. Rizi…

Challenger Series: Week 2 Welterweights

February 25thPM ET@fuboSports pic.twitter.com/SIazxuVTY8

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 21, 2022 The second edition of Professional Fighters League’s Challenger Series on Feb. 25 will bring welterweights to the table in search of a contract. Via a press release sent out on Friday, the organization has announced its second Challenger Series event that will take place on Feb. 25 at the Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. In a similar vein to Dana White's Contender Series, the league plans on either issuing a PFL contract at the end of show or signing a victor to a developmental deal that will ultimately lead to another Challenger Series appearance or a PFL roster spot.

The first event on Feb. 18 was announced on Wednesday, in which it will bring in eight fighters to compete in four bouts in the light heavyweight division. This format will stay the same all season, where four fights will take place on each c…

145. I'm not allowed on the official scale cause the fight is off.9days. I did my part. pic.twitter.com/Vwy0N3ATEr

— CharlesAirJourdain (@JourdainAir) January 21, 2022 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The first Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view of 2022 took a pair of huge hits before weigh-ins began. Early on Friday morning, ESPN Deportes reported that Rodolfo Vieira had been forced out of his UFC 270 meeting with Wellington Turman due to medical reasons. Per MMA Fighting, Turman will be paid his show money, and it is not certain if the fight will be rebooked or if the two will face different opponents in the future. The promotion confirmed the loss of this fight shortly before the weigh-ins with an updated lineup excluding the middleweight matchup. The welterweight pairing between Trevin Giles and Michael Morales has since…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EUp-hhaIhY&w=640&h=360] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's first pay-per-view of 2022 is set with two title fights after the official UFC 270 weigh-ins took place.

Headlining the card is a heavyweight unification bout between champion Francis Ngannou and interim titleholder Ciryl Gane. The co-main event will see flyweight king Brandon Moreno face Deiveson Figueiredo for a third time. While all four fighters in the championship bouts made weight, two undercard bouts were canceled as Ilia Topuria was pulled from his featherweight bout against Charles Jourdain due to issues with his weight cut, and middleweight Rodolfo Vieira was pulled from his fight against Wellington Turman due to medical reasons.

This is the first bout for Ngannou (16-3) since claiming the title from Stipe Miocic last year. "The Predator" finished Miocic just 52 seconds into the second round of their rematch, and comes into this battle on a five-fight knocko…